AS flares lit up the skies of Kiev, a young Ukrainian protester, wearing a helmet, balaclava and bullet-proof jacket, got down on one knee and formally proposed to his girlfriend.

The man, who is an activist from the radical opposition Right Sector group, had telephoned his girlfriend of 18 months late on Saturday night and asked her to join him at the opposition's barricades in Kiev.

As they stood close to lines of riot police, he pulled out a small red box, took out a ring, and asked her to marry him.

Overcome with emotion, the young woman nodded, smiled and kissed her future husband. Dozens of protesters cheered and lit fireworks and red flares.

"I'm speechless, delighted!" said the man, who declined to reveal his identity.

"I've been wanting to do this for a long time, but unfortunately – or fortunately – the revolution started, so I decided to do it here."The spot the young man chose for his proposal was a street near Independence Square.

It was also where the most violent clashes took place last month. For two months the Ukrainian opposition has been involved in a deadly confrontation with the government over its decision to scrap a key pact with the EU.